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At the Blue Lock facilities, it was pretty normal for participants to move between different areas, hanging out with teammates from other squads. You could spot PXG players in the Ubers’ building or Bastard and Barcha members chilling at Manshine’s facilities. After all, they were just young guys eager to catch up with old friends—talking about their achievements, progress, fears, emotions, and most importantly… gossip.
In the common room of Manshine City, three young guys were chatting and updating each other.
"So, the fallen hero didn’t want to come?" Chigiri commented, trying to sound indifferent—but failing miserably.
"Yeah..." Isagi replied, disapproval written all over his face. "He became a lone wolf after leaving Wild Card."
"Hmm..." Bachira hummed in thought. "Then next time, we’ll just drag him along with us!" he declared cheerfully.
"Haha, you’re right," Chigiri agreed. "We already have enough pure egotists in the facility—Barou and Rin are more than enough."
"Hehe, true, Barou and Rin are a special case," Isagi commented casually. "I had to share a room with both of them… It was an experience..."
"You don’t say," Chigiri scoffed. "And let me tell you something—sharing a room with Barou and Nagi is even worse."
"Oh? Nagicchi?" Bachira asked curiously.
"Yeah, those two are like oil and water," Isagi said, shaking his head. "They’re always arguing over the smallest things…"
"True, I can confirm," Chigiri added.
"Ohhh, who would’ve thought that about Nagicchi?" Bachira exclaimed. "He usually finds everything annoying and avoids any kind of trouble."
"Now that you mention it..." Isagi said thoughtfully. "Back in the Second Selection, he was actually the one who provoked Barou first."
"Ohh, interesting," Chigiri smirked mischievously. "You guys think something happened between them during the First Selection?"
"Hmm… It’s possible," Isagi admitted.
"Let’s find out!!" Bachira shouted enthusiastically.
"I was just about to say that!" Chigiri responded with the same energy as he got up from his seat. "First, we’ll go straight to the source—we’ll ask Nagi."
The three exchanged knowing smiles and made their way to the shared room where the white-haired lazy genius was lounging on his bed, playing video games—as usual.
"Nagi!" Chigiri called out as he barged into the room, heading straight to interrogate him. "We need to ask you a few questions."
The four of them sat in a circle, though Nagi remained seated on the bed, still playing on his phone. It wasn’t clear if he was actually paying attention or not—he was just going with the flow. Besides, he knew how persistent Chigiri could be once he set his mind on something. It was best to just get it over with and avoid the headache.
Thus, the interrogation began.
First question: Do you consider yourself a confrontational person?
"Nah," Nagi replied without looking up. "Conflict is a pain."
Second question: Do you think you’d ever start a fight with someone?
"Nah," he answered again, completely uninterested. "It’d be a pain… and I might get hurt…"
Third question: Is there anyone you particularly dislike? And why?
"Hmmm… nah," he said in the same monotone voice. "Thinking about people I don’t like is a pain."
"You’re the real pain here," Chigiri huffed in frustration. "Could you at least put some effort into your answers?"
"Nah, too much of a pain…"
"You—" Chigiri gritted his teeth as a vein on his forehead slowly became more visible.
"Nagicchi!" Bachira suddenly chimed in. "We just wanna know why you don’t like Barou!"
"Hmmm… dunno," Nagi muttered, still glued to his game. "Thinking is a pain..."
Chigiri let out a deep sigh, crossing his arms. He glanced at the other two, knowing they wouldn’t get any useful info out of this two-meter-tall lazybones. So, they had to find another approach.
Who knew Nagi better than Mikage Reo himself—his self-proclaimed partner? Nagi was Reo’s treasure, after all. He had to know the reason behind all this. According to Nagi, he wasn’t a confrontational person. He always avoided unnecessary situations that could cause trouble, so how did someone like that end up clashing with a gorilla like Barou? Something didn’t add up. What triggered his reaction?
If Nagi wasn’t going to help, it was time to go to his "mother"—or at least, that’s how they referred to Reo at Manshine.
But as they were heading to the cafeteria to find the "chameleon," Chigiri suddenly remembered today was a special training day, meaning they wouldn’t see him until much later. That left them with their third option—Zantetsu, the third member of Team V’s trio. All their hopes were now resting on the four-eyed guy.
Waiting for Reo would take too long, and asking their fourth option—the one and only Barou—was out of the question. If dealing with Nagi was already a pain, dealing with Barou was three times worse.
But getting answers from Zantetsu wasn’t much easier either. It was a true test of patience.
"Hmm… So you need my help," Zantetsu said, adjusting his glasses. "Honestly, I had no idea Nagi and Barou didn’t get along."
"We’re leaving," Chigiri said flatly, turning on his heel.
"Wait!" Zantetsu called out. "If I remember what triggered the misunderstanding, can I be the hero of this situation?"
"…"
"Of course, Zantetsu!" Bachira cheered, encouraging him. "Can you remember any memorable interaction between those two during the Team V vs. Team X match?"
"Hmmm… Well, it was a long time ago," Zantetsu murmured, thinking hard. "If I recall correctly, by then, we were already playing as a proper team, and stopping Barou was tough. Reo and I tried, but it was impossible. He even knocked Reo down… If Nagi hadn’t blocked him in time, Reo would’ve eaten dirt. I gotta admit, Barou was terrifying."
"Aha… And what else do you remember?" Isagi pressed. "Any specific interaction between Nagi and Barou?"
"Hmmm… Nope," Zantetsu replied with absolute seriousness.
"I’m leaving," Chigiri deadpanned and turned away again.
"Wait, wait!" Zantetsu panicked. "Now that I think about it… Nagi was a bit annoyed after that. I remember because it was weird seeing him like that—especially back then."
"Interesting…" Chigiri muttered.
"Oh! And then there was some conflict between Nagi and Barou!!" Zantetsu suddenly remembered, excitement lighting up his face. The other three immediately leaned in closer, finally getting to the juicy part.
"I overheard something about a ‘slave’ and a ‘partner,’ and before I knew it, they were about to start a fight on the field. Reo had to step in to stop them."
The three boys exchanged knowing looks while Zantetsu stared at them in confusion.
"Did I help?" he asked, waiting for their response.
"Yep! Thanks a lot, Zantetsu!" Chigiri said cheerfully as he and the others waved goodbye. "You were a huge help!"
"Bai bai!" Bachira added, grinning as he walked away.
"I’m a hero…" Zantetsu muttered proudly to himself.
After witnessing Nagi’s "awakening" during the Team Z vs. Team V match, it wasn’t hard for the trio to pinpoint the common factor in all of this. With that in mind, they devised a plan—just to see if their theory held up.
That night, they barged into the Manshine trio’s room. As expected, Nagi was still lying in bed, glued to his phone.
"Nagi! Isagi fell and sprained his ankle!" Chigiri shouted with fake urgency, dramatically swinging the door open as he rushed inside.
Nagi barely looked up, completely uninterested.
"Ohh, that sucks. Is he o—" He didn’t even get to finish his sentence before Bachira stormed in with the same level of exaggeration.
"Isagi fell on Reocchi and twisted his foot!"
At that moment, Nagi bolted upright, dropping his phone. His eyes were wide open, showing a rare look of concern—something almost unheard of for the white-haired guy.
"Reo’s hurt!?" Nagi shouted as he stood up. "Where is he!?"
Bachira and Chigiri exchanged glances before bursting into laughter, leaving Nagi looking utterly confused. Moments later, Isagi walked into the room with the rest of the group, shaking his head.
"It was a dumb joke, everything’s fine, Nagi," Isagi said, clearly unimpressed.
"Oh… so nothing happened," Nagi muttered, standing frozen for a second before flopping back into bed, grabbing his phone again. "Good… glad nothing happened," he mumbled to himself, sounding more at ease as he resumed his game.
"Aww, Nagicchi cares about Reocchi a lot, huh?" Bachira teased with a bright grin.
"Yeah," Nagi replied without hesitation.
"You and Reo are really close, Nagi," Isagi added with a warm smile.
"At least you don’t have to deal with them every day," Chigiri scoffed, a little exasperated. "This guy right here acts like a two-meter-tall lazy baby whenever he’s with Reo. And the worst part? Reo totally enables him!"
"Haha, Nagicchi, seems like Reocchi really cares about you too," Bachira chuckled, stretching his arms as he headed toward the door. "I’m heading out. Today was a fun day, haha."
"Yeah, me too," Isagi echoed, following suit. "See you guys later. Tell Reo I said hi when he gets back!"
"Goodnight!" Chigiri called as he waved them off. Nagi, however, was already back to being absorbed in his phone.
Now that they were alone—just Nagi and Chigiri in the room—it was time to talk to the guy at the center of today’s whole adventure, or at least, the main character of the story. Chigiri eyed Nagi with a mischievous smirk as he approached his bed.
"Hey, Nagi," he said. "I think we figured out why you don’t like Barou."
"Hmph?" Nagi hummed, completely uninterested, eyes still on his game.
"Zantetsu told us that during the Team V vs. Team X match, you nearly started a fight with him," Chigiri continued, trying to grab Nagi’s attention. "And that the one who got in between and had to stop you was Reo. That true?"
"Mmm… don’t remember," Nagi said flatly, still not looking up. "That was a long time ago."
"I see..." Chigiri murmured, thinking of another way to get through to him.
Honestly, he was tired of how things were between Nagi and Reo. Their lack of communication was their biggest weakness as a "pair," and Chigiri knew it all too well. This was his chance to give them a push in the right direction. They were both his friends, and if he had the chance to help, he wouldn’t waste it. This was it.
"Nagi, have you noticed that when it comes to Reo, you act completely different?"
"Hmph? Reo’s my partner. Of course it’s different," Nagi answered, this time lifting his gaze slightly.
Chigiri’s face immediately lit up with a knowing smirk. "Bingo," his expression practically said.
"Oh yeah? So the only difference between Reo and everyone else is that he’s your partner?" Chigiri pressed. "Then if I became your partner, would you care about me as much as you care about Reo?"
"You can’t be my partner. I already have Reo."
"Hypothetically spea—"
"Only Reo can be my partner," Nagi interrupted, cutting him off.
Chigiri blinked in surprise. Not only had Nagi finally looked away from his phone, but he was actually staring at him with serious eyes, full of determination.
"Ohhh, I see…" Chigiri muttered, watching as Nagi looked slightly flustered. "And why can only Reo be your partner?"
"Mmm… because he’s Reo."
"That’s not an answer…" Chigiri sighed, thinking hard. "Oh! Is it because he has money?"
"No."
"Then you can’t explain why?" Chigiri pushed, sounding a little frustrated now.
"Why do you care so much?" Nagi shot back, lying back down and grabbing his phone again. "Reo… Reo is different."
"Okay, okay, let’s play a little game," Chigiri offered. "I’ll say two things, and you tell me which one you’d rather choose. Sound good?"
"Wow, you’re real talkative today, Missy. What’s gotten into you?" Nagi replied in his usual monotone.
"Shut up and answer. Would you rather sleep all day or play video games all day?"
"Mmmm…"
At first, Nagi hesitated, wondering if he should even bother playing along. But then he remembered just how persistent Chigiri could get when ignored, so he decided to just go with it. Besides, he could still play his game while answering.
"Even though I love sleeping, I’d pick video games."
"Perfect! You got the idea!" Chigiri said excitedly. "Now, if Reo is so important to you, what would you choose—playing video games all day or spending time with Reo?"
"Video games are fun, but I’d rather hang out with Reo. He’s my partner," Nagi replied casually, still tapping away at his phone.
"I see… so Reo is just your partner?" Chigiri muttered under his breath. "If you had to pick between Reo and soccer, what would you choose?"
A heavy silence filled the room.
Nagi’s fingers stopped moving on his phone. He sank into thought. Realistically speaking, soccer was the only thing that tied him and Reo together. After all, it was what brought them together in the first place. Thanks to soccer, he met Reo—or rather, thanks to Reo, he met soccer. Both were indispensable in his life. Without soccer, there was no Reo. Without Reo, there was no soccer.
"It’s impossible… Soccer is the only thing that connects me and Reo."
"That’s all you have to say?" Chigiri asked, watching him intently.
Nagi put his phone aside and flopped back onto the bed, burying his face into his pillow.
"Thinking is a pain… Missy, it’s too late for your mind games. I don’t wanna think."
"Alright, I’ll drop it for now," Chigiri chuckled to himself. "But Nagi… I’m sure that to Reo, you’re more than just a partner."
Nagi remained silent under the covers.
"More than a partner…"
That last phrase echoed in his head.
Right now, he and Reo were partners with the same goal—to win the World Cup. That’s what partners do, right? But… for the first time in his life, Nagi started thinking about the future.
Today, he and Reo were a duo with a shared dream. But what would happen once they reached that goal? Would they stop being partners? Would their bond disappear?
Without the thing that tied them together—soccer—what would become of their relationship?
"Ahh… thinking is a pain…" he mumbled, gripping his blanket over his face.
But no matter how much he tried to stop thinking about it, the question kept lingering in his mind. So, he decided to get out of bed and head to the training area—maybe that would help clear his head.
When he arrived at the special training hall, he could make out a boy with purple hair in the distance, giving it his all with every shot at the goal. As Nagi walked closer, he couldn’t help but think about what Chigiri had made him analyze earlier.
"Our relationship is only because of soccer, right? We’re just teammates, after all… but then, why do I feel so weird when I think about what ties us together? If Reo or I ever stop playing soccer… what happens to us? Is it fear? Is it sadness…?"
"Thinking really isn’t my thing," he muttered to himself.
Reo, exhausted, collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. A few seconds later, Nagi approached him, handing him a towel and a bottle of water.
"Nagi!" Reo exclaimed, surprised but happy to see him. "What are you doing here this late?"
"Couldn’t sleep. Chigiri started messing with my head, and now I can’t stop thinking."
"That’s rare coming from you, haha. What did he say to get you like this?"
"Mmm… I forgot…" Nagi answered, averting his gaze.
Whenever he was with Reo, that strange feeling disappeared. He stopped worrying about the future and just lived in the present. Maybe that was Reo’s superpower.
"I think you have superpowers, Reo. Your smile made me stop overthinking. You’ve got a gift."
"Huh? What are you even talking about, dummy?" Reo laughed, amused.
"It’s healing… Spending time with Reo is definitely nice."
Without another word, Nagi crouched down in front of him and waited.
"Huh?" Reo blinked in surprise.
"You worked really hard today. It’s time for the Nagimusina," Nagi said in his usual calm tone.
Reo chuckled and accepted, climbing onto Nagi’s back. They walked together through the hallways while Nagi recalled a memory from the past—when Reo had told him he liked spending time with him, that it was fun.
Without thinking too much about it, Nagi broke the silence:
"Reo…"
"Yeah?"
"I enjoy spending time with you."
"Huh? What’s up with you today?" Reo asked with a playful smile before grabbing Nagi’s cheeks and gently pulling on them.
"Ouch! The Nagimusina is gonna crash… ouch!"
"Hehe, sorry, sorry. It’s just that you’re acting weirder than usual today."
Reo rested his head on Nagi’s shoulder and, in a softer tone, whispered:
"I enjoy spending time with you too, partner."
"Partner."
That word echoed in Nagi’s head over and over again.
For some reason, it bothered him. He didn’t know why, so he just stayed quiet and nodded.
The next morning, in the Manshine City cafeteria, Chigiri was sitting and having breakfast, waiting for the perfect moment to catch a certain purple-haired boy walking by. And there he was.
As soon as Chigiri spotted Reo, he immediately grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to sit next to him. This was his only chance to talk to him alone—after all, that lazy two-meter sloth who was always stuck to his side was probably off taking one of his many naps. This was the perfect moment.
"Reo! I haven’t had the chance to talk to you," Chigiri exclaimed with a big smile on his face.
"Oh, Chigiri!" Reo responded, smiling back. "What did you wanna talk about? If it’s about your hair dryer that Nagi broke last time, I’m already coordinating with Anri-chan to contact Baaya and get you a new one."
"Oh, I totally forgot about that! Thanks, but that’s not it," Chigiri replied, still smiling. "It is about Nagi, though."
"Oh? What about him?"
"Hehe, we did some thorough research yesterday, and I have some information that might be useful for you," Chigiri said proudly.
"Ohh? What did you guys talk about?" Reo asked, preparing to eat.
As Reo enjoyed his breakfast, Chigiri explained everything they had discussed with Isagi and Bachira—specifically, the whole Barou situation and the conclusion they had reached.
To Chigiri’s surprise, Reo was taking it all quite calmly—or at least, that’s how he appeared on the surface.
"I see… I didn’t remember that," Reo commented about the clash between Nagi and Barou during the match, realizing he had been the main reason for the conflict.
"You don’t seem very interested," Chigiri noted with a displeased look. He had expected more of a reaction. "Well then, I do know something that’ll interest you. I had a little chat with Nagi last night."
"Mhm," Reo still showed no significant reaction.
"It was a long conversation, so I’ll just summarize the most important part," Chigiri continued. "We played a game of ‘Would You Rather.’ First question: Would you rather rest all day or play video games?"
"He picked video games, right?" Reo answered without hesitation, taking a bite of his food.
"Correct! As expected from the heir of Mikage Corporation," Chigiri teased sarcastically. "You really do know your boy."
"Enough of that. If it were up to Nagi, he’d play games all day—he says ‘normal human activities’ get in the way."
"Normal human activities…" Chigiri muttered, chuckling to himself. "That was just a test question. Then we moved on to the real ones. Next question: Video games or Reo?" Chigiri flashed a mischievous and provoking look.
Reo, completely confident, prepared his answer. "He obviously picked video ga—"
"He picked you," Chigiri interrupted.
Reo immediately choked on his food.
"WHAT!?" he coughed out once he caught his breath.
"Hehe, not so predictable after all, huh? Or maybe… you don’t know him as well as you thought?" Chigiri teased.
"Cof cof—I-I… yeah," Reo stuttered. "That caught me off guard…"
The only thing he could do was look away, trying to hide the faint blush creeping onto his cheeks. Chigiri let out a small laugh.
"Looks like Nagi really enjoys spending time with you."
"That makes sense… he did say that to me yesterday," Reo muttered to himself.
"Did you say something?" Chigiri asked, confused.
"N-no, keep going," Reo responded nervously.
"Alright, last question. I asked him to choose between you or soccer. Guess what he said?"
"I think I already know the answer… You don’t have to tell me."
Reo’s face fell slightly as he said it.
His mind drifted back to the Second Selection. He remembered how Nagi had left him behind… the emptiness he felt at that moment.
"Damn it… I remembered something I didn’t want to."
"Mmm… that’s what you thought about the last question too," Chigiri said, trying to cheer him up. "But guess what? He couldn’t choose."
Reo lifted his head, surprised.
"Seems like you’re just as important to him as he is to you, huh?" Chigiri said as he stood up.
"Eh?"
"I think I helped you out a lot. The rest is up to you."
Chigiri turned to leave, but before he could, Reo grabbed his shirt.
"Chigiri… please…"
"Hmm?"
"ASK HIM IF HE PREFERS CHOKI OR ME."
Chigiri stared at him in pure confusion.
"Huh? Who the hell is Choki?"
Reo pursed his lips and looked away, still gripping Chigiri’s shirt tightly.
"You two are a lost cause…" Chigiri sighed.
The sound of a hairdryer echoed through the Blue Lock bathrooms. Reo was drying his hair, while Nagi, sitting on a bench, patiently waited for his turn—just like always.
"All done!" Reo announced, running his fingers through his hair. "Nagi, come on, it’s your turn."
"Yeah…" Nagi murmured as he walked over.
Reo greeted him with a smile, but Nagi’s thoughts were still tangled after his conversation with Chigiri. He knew Reo was his partner, and he didn’t dislike being one—on the contrary. For Nagi, and for everyone else, being Reo’s inseparable partner was a privilege. But… was he really satisfied with that?
The word partner seemed to confine them to just soccer. But what if one day they reached their goal? What would happen when they no longer had a shared objective? When the dream that connected them finally came to an end? What would become of this Nagi and Reo when the World Cup was no longer just a distant horizon?
Nagi pressed his lips together.
He couldn’t let things end there. He wouldn’t accept that soccer was the only thing keeping them together.
No. Definitely not.
Since the day Reo found him, his presence had become his foundation. He, who had never been interested in anything or anyone, had found an exception to that rule… and he knew it. But… did Reo know it too?
It was time to find out.
"Today was a busy day, huh, Nagi?" Reo said with his usual smile.
"Mmm." Nagi hummed, giving a slight nod.
Reo finished drying his hair, running his fingers through it in satisfaction.
"There! All dry and fluffy."
Nagi blinked slowly, as if gathering the courage to speak.
"Reo…"
"Yeah?"
"I…"
"I’m listening." Reo started packing up his things, unaware of the tension in Nagi’s voice.
"I’m not good at expressing what I feel. I’m not good with words…"
"Nagi…?" Reo stopped and turned to him, sensing something different.
"I don’t want to cause any misunderstandings." Nagi lowered his gaze, his fingers fidgeting nervously. "Reo… I don’t want us to be partners."
The bag slipped from Reo’s hand.
"Huh…? Wait, Nagi…" His voice wavered slightly. "What are you trying to sa—"
"Please, let me finish."
Reo shut his mouth instantly.
Nagi took a deep breath, clenching his hands over his knees.
"Lately, thinking about our relationship has been unsettling. I’m scared that once we reach our goal… our only bond will disappear."
Reo opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"When we win the World Cup… what happens to us? Will we stop being partners?" Nagi’s voice sounded strangely fragile. "That’s why I don’t want to think about these things. I don’t want our only connection to break."
His fingers tightened around the fabric of his pants.
"I really enjoy spending time with you. At first, I’ll admit, I thought you were way too persistent. Even though I tried to avoid you, I couldn’t ignore how much you cared about someone like me. I never had friends, never cared to connect with anyone—except you. I’m here because of you."
Reo listened in silence, eyes wide.
"That’s why it terrifies me to think that if it weren’t for your dream and your ambition for soccer… we never would have met."
Nagi lifted his gaze, looking at him sincerely.
"That’s why I’m afraid that once we achieve our dream, the title of ‘partners’ will disappear. I don’t want us to be just partners if that means our bond is limited to that… And I’m sure you feel the same way, Reo."
Silence took over the room.
Reo swallowed hard and slowly sat down on the bench.
"Nagi… you…" he muttered, trying to hide the light blush creeping onto his face. "How can you say something like that so casually?"
"Hmp. I just say what I think, Reo."
Reo averted his gaze, his face turning even redder.
"S-So, Nagi… if you don’t want us to be ‘partners’…" he murmured hesitantly. "What do you want us to be?"
"Oh… I haven’t thought about that." Nagi admitted. "But… does Reo get what I mean? Reo, will you stay by my side, even after we achieve our dream?"
"T-There you go again, you idiot!" Reo exclaimed, standing up, his face completely flushed. "O-Of course I will, dumbass! What makes you think I’d ever leave you!?"
Nagi watched him carefully, waiting patiently.
"Nagi, honestly… I’ve had the same doubt all this time," Reo admitted with a sigh. "At some point, I started wondering how much I actually mattered to you. I thought that… maybe the only thing keeping us together was our dream. I even thought you had forgotten about it."
"Reo…" Nagi murmured, standing up and stepping closer.
"But now I see that’s not true… and that makes me really happy." Reo smiled, and for the first time, a faint blush appeared on Nagi’s face. "It’s obvious we’re not just teammates, or just soccer partners. Even if our relationship is… a little weird… I want you to know that I’ll never leave you alone."
"Reo…" Nagi whispered, staring at him.
"Reo definitely has powers… Just looking at him makes my head feel light and my stomach flutter."
"Hahaha, you probably ate something bad," Reo teased, watching Nagi frown with a small pout.
"That’s not it." The white-haired boy muttered, annoyed. "It’s because of Reo’s magic."
And without warning, he threw himself at Reo, wrapping him in a hug.
"H-Hey, Nagi, be careful! We’re gonna fall—!" Reo protested, but instinctively, he still held him close.
"Reo, do you remember the promise we made at the start of Blue Lock? Promise me you’ll stay with me forever."
"Oh! Of course, Nagi. We’ll be together till the end!"
"No, Reo… Forever. Promise me."
Reo looked at him for a moment before smiling.
"Haha, yeah yeah. Forever."
That night, Nagi didn’t sleep in his own bed.
Instead, he was curled up in Reo’s, holding onto him while sleeping peacefully.
Reo, on the other hand, was completely awake—his face red as he stared at the ceiling.
"He really took the ‘always together’ thing way too seriously…" he muttered, dazed.
Meanwhile, in the next bed over, Chigiri covered his mouth, barely holding back his laughter.